A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area This exhibition is just part of a larger project looking at the history of Rugby in the Milton Keynes area. In the year that the Rugby World Cup came to Milton Keynes, Living Archive MK began the process of researching archives, collecting stories from fans, enthusiasts and players and building a wealth of material for a book, a series of short films and a website. We hope that you will be intrigued and surprised by the people and their stories that have enhanced rugby in our area for over 140 years, from its beginnings at Wolverton and Olney – and concurrently at Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell – through the evolution of the Bletchley and Milton Keynes clubs (and some of the local teams in between) to the amazing Rugby World Cup held in the Stadium MK in 2015. Visit the website to see more: www.rugbyheritagemk.org.uk Introduction
Transcript
A History of Rugby inthe Milton Keynes Area
This exhibition is just part of a larger project looking at the history of Rugby in the MiltonKeynes area. In the year that the Rugby World Cup came to Milton Keynes, Living Archive MK
began the process of researching archives, collecting stories from fans, enthusiasts andplayers and building a wealth of material for a book, a series of short films and a website.
We hope that you will be intrigued and surprised by the people and their stories that haveenhanced rugby in our area for over 140 years, from its beginnings at Wolverton and Olney– and concurrently at Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell – through the evolution of theBletchley and Milton Keynes clubs (and some of the local teams in between) to the amazing
Rugby World Cup held in the Stadium MK in 2015.
Visit the website to see more: www.rugbyheritagemk.org.uk
Introduction
1800s 1871 The Rugby Football Union is formed.
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
1800s 1871 The Rugby Football Union is formed.
1875 Rugby football reportedly begins in Wolverton and Olney and there are accounts ofmatches in Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell.
1877 The Olney Rugby Football Club has its first recorded game, its headquarters in The TwoBrewers Inn.
Olney Rugby Football Club – Season 1877. Back: G Dix, J Ellard, Joe Kitchener, Wm Stratton, John Nicholls, Middle: JC Hipwell (Captain) George Clarke, Jim Ruff, Alfred Clarke, George Freeman, S Goldsmith, ‘Pinkie’ BoothSeated: C Brandon, J Crouch, George Field (Vice-Captain) (Olney Rugby Football Club Archive)
1894 The victorious players (right) of the 1894Bedford Rugby Union XV dominate locallyand inspire other teams in the early years– especially Olney RFC. The club wasamalgamated in 1886 from BedfordRovers, formed in 1876 and BedfordSwifts, 1882. (Edgar Dix Collection, Living Archive MK)
1888
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
The Olney RFC Teamof 1888 (Olney RugbyFootball Club Archive)
1900s 1903 Edward Mobbs (1882 – 1917 ) was a resident of DartmouthHouse Olney. An outstanding player who first plays for OlneyRFC before he joins Northampton Saints in 1905. Captain ofthe England team in 1910, he also leads the Barbarians forseveral years.
1913 The East Midlands team of 1913 (below): former Olney player Edgar Mobbs is seated inthe centre of the middle row; he officially retires from the game later that year.
1910 Olney’s youngsters become a fixture for the club.
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
Olney Junior RFC 1909-10: Holders of the ‘Oceanic’ Trophy (Olney Rugby Football Club Archive)
A series of sporting cigarette cardsincludes this image of a woman inrugby kit, possibly inspired by the
rowdy exhibition matches reportedin 1881 – or perhaps it is a cartoon
of a sport that is not generallyplayed in public, if at all.
(Cowper & Newton Museum)
1900sThe FirstWorld War
Regardless of this record of players in 1914 (below), the start of the war leavesWolverton Rugby Club in limbo from which it doesn’t recover until after the 2nd WorldWar.
Now promoted, Lieutenant-Colonel Mobbshimself is wounded twice and awarded the DSOfor his work as Commander; but he is killed whilstleading a charge at Passchendaele in 1917.
He is commemorated on the Menin GateMemorial – along with 54,000 other men whosenames are recorded, but whose remains are neverfound.
(Image of LT Col Mobbs courtesy of the Olney & District Historical Society)
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
(Image from the Chris Gleadell Collection, Living Archive MK)
1914to
1919
During the First World War, theformer Olney player Blair
Swannell (above) who wassubsequently capped for
England and Australia, joinsthe Australian Imperial Force
and is appointed with the rankof Major, serving with the 1stBattalion. He is killed on 25th
April 1915 while taking part inthe landing at Anzac Cove,during the first day of the
Gallipoli Campaign.
“The First WorldWar took a sad
toll of Olneyplayers. Sixteen
playing memberslost their lives…”
(Jack Brimley)
‘Winners of the Rugby Match October 31st 1914 – England 24pts Wales 0.’ Former Olney player Edgar Mobbs holdsthe ball, centre back (Image courtesy Cowper & Newton Museum)
‘Over 400 volunteers serve in ‘Mobbs Army’of which only 85 survive the war. (Image courtesy Cowper & Newton Museum)
1900s 1923 Olney RFC recovers somewhat from its dearth of players after the First World War with acreditable 1923-4 season: ‘Played 24; Won 17; Lost 5. Against opponents: 150 pts’
1934 By the 1930s, Olney RFC has a highly successful junior team.
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
(1923-24 team from the Olney Rugby Football Club Archive)
‘Olney Juniors 1934’ (Edgar Dix Collection, Living Archive MK)
The Swan Hotel c1940s (Living Archive MK)
1947 A playing area is found for Bletchley RFC at Meadow Field, Manor Farm off the A5opposite the Old Kings Head pub (now Pink Punters); and changing and refreshmentfacilities are arranged with the Swan Hotel at Fenny Stratford.
1900s 1952 1952 is a momentous year for both Olney and Bletchley rugby clubs: Not only is itOlney’s 75th anniversary, it is also the year that Bletchley’s new sporting complex atManor Fields is opened by the Duke of Edinburgh.
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
(Bletchley Gazette, 18th October 1952. Gazette Archive, Living Archive MK)
1961
1971
Bletchley Grammar School 1st XV 1961-2 including Master-in-charge Phil Pilcher (far right) (Duncan MacFarlane Collection, Living Archive MK)
Bletchley RUFC 1st XV with Robin Bowen-Williams (right) 1971-2 (Duncan MacFarlane Collection, Living Archive MK)
1900s 1976 Olney RFC has now grown to four senior XVs (120 players), a Junior Colts XV, and theirMini section (80 players). Playing areas are in full use on Saturdays, with Under 19 XVand Under16 XV being played on Sundays. The club also wins the 1976 Lewis Shield forthe first time.
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
(Olney Rugby Football Club Collection, Living Archive MK)
(Anne Silk Collection,Living Archive MK)
1983
1994 This year sees public affirmation of the massivelocal revolutions in rugby union football: in theprogramme for a special Rugby Festival thereare matches not only between ‘The OpenUniversity Representative XV v The EnglandRugby Classicals’ and for Veterans but also forWomen’s and Mini Rugby Matches.
Paul Hull – formerly at Milton Keynes RFC,Bristol and RAF – wins four England caps:
Olney’s new Clubhouse isopened by two revered former
Captains of the club:F (Chick) Millward (1931-33)PN (Pat) Sowman (1933-36)
“There were some unbelievably brutalgames in South Africa but I loved it.They were hard grounds, good to runon, and because South Africans like tokick the ball a lot, I was always in thegame. The other big thing, of course,was that Nelson Mandela had just beenelected as president and we were due tomeet him at the first Test in Pretoria.”
The MK Youth Team at Greenleys, lining up with trainer Gerard Copp, far right.
2000s 2000 Olney Juniors at the start of the decade. (Citizen archive, Living Archive MK)
2003 Milton Keynes Rugby Club plays the Rugby 7s Hemingway Memorial match at FieldLane, Greenleys in Wolverton, 23rd May 2003.
2007 Bletchley RFC celebrates its 60th anniversary. And Olney RFC celebrates winning theLewis Shield yet again.
2000s
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
2008 “Bletchley Ladies: Founded in 2008, some of the original players are still withthe team which only had a handful of players with usually only 6/7 available forgames. In the early days they were supported by Leighton Buzzard RUFC wholent them players and played trial matches as an introduction and creation of aLadies Club. This is now (2015) reversed – Leighton Buzzard is in decline andBletchley does their best to support them through rough times.” (Verity Robinson, 2015 Captain, to Living Archive MK)
2010
Milton Keynes RUFC memorial game, 2010: John Silk, Club President, is seated in the front row on a player's back.(Anne Silk Collection, Living Archive MK)
2012 On 30 December 2012, Premiership Saracens host Northampton Saints for a regularseason match at Stadium MK, while their new stadium at Barnet Copthall was stillbeing built. Final score: Saracens 17-16 Northampton. (Photo MK Dons, courtesy leescriven.com)
2015The RugbyWorld Cup
2015 The ‘World in Union’ comes to Milton Keynes!
A History of Rugby in the Milton Keynes Area
MILTON KEYNES’ RUGBY WORLD CUP IN NUMBERS…1 Royal Prince and one country’s President came to Stadium MK – Prince Harry saw France beat Canada41 -18; and Epeli Nailatikau watched his Fijian team beat Uruguay 47 – 15.
2 teams, Samoa and Fiji, used Milton Keynes’ own facilities as team bases for their Rugby World Cuppreparations during the tournament: Woughton on the Green was used for on-field training, with BletchleyLeisure Centre for gym and pool work, away from the pitch.
3 years is how long it took to plan the Rugby World Cup in Milton Keynes.
3 Rugby World Cup pool matches – was the number for which Milton Keynes was the Host City.
5 major organisations in Milton Keynes collaborated to produce a complex and highly successfulworld cup: Milton Keynes Council; MK Dons and Stadium MK; The Parks Trust; The Stables and the InternationalFestival; and the Thames Valley Police.
100s of volunteers worked as part of The Pack or working at the Fanzone – including the Mayor ofMilton Keynes, Cllr Keith McLean working on all three match days – in spectator services, helping direct peoplearound the city and get them in the mood to watch rugby…
5,868 cups of teawere bought at Stadium MK during the three matches.
7,863 pieswere bought at Stadium MK during the three matches.
8,532 hotdogswere bought at Stadium MK during the three matches.
12,000 people experienced the ‘world class spectacular’ Clash of Drums, produced by The Stablesand IF – the Milton Keynes International Festival – as it processed through the streets of Milton Keynes,culminating with an explosive finale on stage at The Point.
23,583 alcoholic bottleswere sold at Stadium MK.
30,048 spectatorswere in Stadium MK at the final match, Fiji v Uruguay – the third record during theWorld Cup that was broken for the stadium.
36,000 visitors came to the official Rugby World Cup Fanzone, in Campbell Park, Milton Keynes,organised by the Parks Trust, throughout 11 days from 1st October.
50,000 shuttle bus tripswere taken in Milton Keynes for the matches.
87,356was the total number of spectators attending the three matches in Stadium MK.
25 million people from all over the world tuned in to watch Japan beat Samoa 26 -5 atStadium MK – the largest television audience ever recorded for a sporting event.
50 million poundswere estimated to have been injected into Milton Keynes’ economy.(All photos courtesy leescriven.com)
